CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS: THE CASE OF RIO DE JANEIRO by Roberto Scipiao Ribeiro Bachelor of Architecture Santa Ursula University Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October, 1980 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Architecture Studies at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITU'TE OF TECHNOLOGY .June 1990 @Roberto Scipiao Ribeiro 1990. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly copies of this thesis document in whole or in part. Signature of the author Roberto Scipiao Ribeiro Department of Architecture May 11, 1990 Certified by Dennis Frenchman Lecturer Thesis Supervisor Accepted by 1 MJ Julian Beinart Chairman Departmental Committee for Graduate Studies MASACHUSETS INST!TUTE OFTEC 1 MAY 3 0 1990 LIBRARIES Rotth TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 3 Acknowledgements 5 Introduction 6 CHAPTER I Control as a medium 10 The Aldeia System 11 The Senzalas 16 The Doxiadis Plan 18 The Favelas 23 The Condo Bundles 27 CHAPTER II Case studies in residential control 34 Topography: Development History 34 Topology and Planning - Barra da Tijuca 39 The case of Nova Ipanema 44 The case of Novo Leblon 51 CHAPTER III Classifications of Control 64 Individual's relationship to space 64 Typology of Control: The Controlmatrix 69 The Urban Puzzle 73 CHAPTER IV Implications of Control 78 Physical Impact of Control 78 The Wall 78 The Free Zones 80 Social Impact of Control 83 The Orphans of Society 83 The Orders of Control 84 CHAPTER V Conclusions and Recommendations 88 Development Models 92 Final Remarks 96 Bibliography 97 Appendix 100 -2- CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS: THE CASE OF RIO DE JANEIRO by Roberto Scipiao Ribeiro Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 11, 1990 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Architecture Studies ABSTRACT This study describes and analyzes the changing impact of "security" on the form of cities by exploring two residential settings, Nova Ipanema and Novo Leblon, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These developments have established a new post-modern version of the European medieval walled cities. The need for safety in the city has caused affluent citizens to react, by supplying themselves with the kind of services that were once the municipality's responsibility. As a result one can see increased subdivision of the urban fabric into virtual miniature cities. These secluded residential pockets are a tentative answer to a pervasive need for security and control, which is significantly disrupting the traditional form of the city. The study concludes that, as local economic problems worsen and government services lessen, increased private-based measures are likely to dominate the urban scene. Thesis Supervisor: Dennis Frenchman Title: Lecturer -3- To Bel -4- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dennis Frenchman, for his sharp criticism, encouragement and support during this semester. I also would like to thank Gary Hack, Gary T. Marx and Christopher Sawyer- Laucanno, for their valuable insights and continuous support. I would like to acknowledge the support of CNPQ (National Council for Research), Brazil, which generously funded my studies at MIT. I would like to thank the following people in Rio de Janeiro: Roberto Medina, Sergio Bernardes, Musa Architecture and Construction, Inc., Sergio Gattass and the Administration of Novo Leblon Condominiums, who immensely contributed to this work by sharing with me their opinions and insights. I would like to thank my parents, Ramon and Adelaide, who have given me the opportunities to pursue the best education in my life. My greatest debt is to Bel, my wife, for her love, understanding and moral support, and to whom with gratitude and love I dedicate this thesis. -5- INTRODUCTION In this piece of research I deal with the idea of "control", an abstract notion that is becoming an important factor in the design of cities. This work deals with control only within residential contexts in the city. The two cases that I present here, Nova Ipanema and Novo Leblon, come from the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They are prototypical of an increasing number of similar type projects in other parts of the world that feature security control, such as retirement communities in Florida and exclusive residential developments in California. There are also many other illustrations that can be found in Arizona, Boston and in Europe, as well. The increased use of control in the environment has resulted in significant changes in the living pattern for some of the population within a section of the city of Rio. Two villages, in particular, have established a new trend that has been followed by most of the residential developments in the far south region of the city, the bairro ( 1) called Barra da Tijuca (see Fig. 1). The phenomena of the development of these villages in the city of Rio de Janeiro, is mainly caused by low levels of security in the environment and the need for better public services. Fear and distrust is a common feeling throughout the city, and gave birth to an interesting concept for new residential communities in the post modern city that I have named, Condo Bundles. In other words, Condo Bundles can be any secluded condominium complex that features common amenities, heavy private security and entrance gates on a walled or fenced-off site. Increasing measures of control are everywhere; however, the average citizen may not perceive it. In the past, concerns with security in the residential environment were less evident than they are today. On the other hand, any kind of social/environmental control is usually taken for granted by most of the population today, because the effects on people are usually confined to (1) bairro is a section of the city and encompasses an area much larger than a neighborhood. -6- Fig. 1 Barra da Tijuca their social behavior. For instance, the existence of a camera or a security guard can make people rethink their attitudes in a particular situation. Our everyday life is, by all means, directly connected to the abstraction of control, whether it is planned or intentional. Controlling and being controlled is part of anyone's life, and is as widely accepted by people today, as eating and drinking. It is often a surprise for people to discover that their lives are controlled by features such as watch guards or electronic devices. Methods of control have continually increased in parallel to advances in technology: Consider for example, all the security/surveillance hardware available for home, office, public spaces and others. Security personnel, cameras, monitors, access codes, among others, are common languages today. That is probably why it has been creeping into our settings for the past twenty years, without people's consent. The implementation and use of these devices can be very subtle and have been legitimized. The idea of control in this study, refers to the restriction or regulation of anyone's choice. This thesis focuses on control, in residential environments particularly, by analyzing its causes and its possible effects on the future urban pattern of the study region, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It also questions and analyzes control with regard to its effect on people, places and cities in general. -8- Fig. 2 -9- CHAPTER I CONTROL AS A MEDIUM Social control has always existed among cultures. This idea of group constraint is an important fact that one has to take into account when one studies the history of Brazil. In this chapter we will deal with five different examples of residential control, featured since the early stages of Brazil's status as a Portuguese colony. Important cases that exemplify the idea of control in the residential environment are: the Aldeia System, The Senzalas, the Doxiadis plan, the Favelas, and the Condo Bundles. They have all been used as a medium to achieve the same goal, namely, security and social control. The five examples above, illustrate different types of residential control, achieved either "by force", "by choice" or "by need". The "by force" type, features an environment where the individual has been excluded from natural interaction with other people, generally as punishment, whereas the "by choice" one features mainly a private domain, where the individual has decided to separate himself from society. The third type, "by need", is featured under unique conditions where the community needs to preserve its integrity and ownership. All types exercise control in different fashions and they can be defined as overt or covert. From the examples shown above, we will see how control is applied in these three different ways, aiming at the same objective. The medieval fortified wall surrounding a city a well understood form of residential control. The wall as a control barrier, is found in three out of the five examples mentioned above. It is important to bear in mind that in Brazil cities have never shared the same tradition as medieval European and Asian cities. Brazilians never had walls surrounding their metropolis. This is probably due to two main reasons: the geographic location in a less hostile environment -10- compared to Europe and Asia, and the informal Portuguese colonialist mind (2). There was in fact a plan for the construction of a fortified wall around the city in 1770, but was never built (see Fig. 3 ). The Aldeia System The aldeias (villages) (see Fig. 4) were the early controlled environments in the history of Brazil. They fall under the "by choice" category and with regard to protection barriers, and the wall was a key feature to the safety of each aldeia. Before exploring the details, it is important to understand how and why the aldeia system was implemented in the new colony as a means of self-defense and self-protection to natives of the colony, namely, the Indians.